Ergonomics is an evolving scientific discipline that ultimately seeks to understand and improve human interactions with the various pieces of equipment used within a work environment, such as keyboards, workstations, torque wrenches, control input devices, and the like. Modern ergonomic design practices seek to optimize all aspects of an operator's physical work environment. Even so, repetitive motion may adversely affect product quality and process efficiency over time.
For some types of repetitive tasks requiring application of a grasping force by an operator to a tool or other object, the operator's grip strength may gradually decline over the course of a work day. Grip strength can also vary widely between different operators performing the same work tasks, e.g., due to differences in strength, physical stature, or muscle fatigue. The variable nature of a given operator's grip strength may result in relatively inefficient execution of certain grasp-related work tasks in a work environment.